Category Archives: Food

What we are eating and where we mention food.

The Cairo Museum, and a Glance at Cairo and Suez – Part 3

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Continued from yesterday”¦ We left the sphinx on foot from an exit different than the one we came in, and walked a block down a street lined with tourist shops to the restaurant. Lunch was included in our tour package, and our hearts sank when we saw it was a buffet geared at big tour groups. We probably should have asked to go somewhere else. They probably would have been happy to accommodate us, but we didn’t ask. Once again, the food was OK. We did try a new food, pickles stuffed with rice in a tomato sauce that was surprisingly good. The bell peppers (capsicum) on the tray along with the pickles are stuffed with the same rice.

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From there we went to the Cairo Museum. No photos are allowed in there, either. It is a good size museum, and it is jam packed with over 120,000 artifacts. The museum Continue reading →

Mexican Food in Egypt?

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We unpacked the most basic essentials and went to bed. We slept for a solid 18 hours. It was great to be back in our own house, in our own bed. Now that we are well rested, we are feeling pretty good, but are not particularly motivated to work on our infinitely long list of boat chores.

This morning we went to breakfast at the hotel. Included with breakfast was a selection of juices. We tried hibiscus, cantaloupe, tamarind, and licorice. None of them had a particularly strong taste, and except for the cantaloupe, none were very sweet. The hibiscus looks like grape juice and the taste is somewhat similar to cranberry juice. Had it not been labeled, we would have assumed it was cranberry juice that was somehow not right. The cantaloupe juice is a bright orange and tastes like yummy, vine ripened cantaloupe. The tamarind juice is very dark, almost a dark brown. It is pretty good, something different than we have ever tried. Now that we have tasted the juice, we realize over the past few months we have had quite a few foods that probably had tamarind in them. We both eyed the licorice juice skeptically. It is a light tan color, and had little black things floating in it that resembles pepper. We braced ourselves, expecting it to taste like Jagermeister. Fortunately, it wasn’t nearly as bad. It definitely has a black licorice taste, which neither of us likes much. But it isn’t terribly strong, and we could have drank a full glass if nothing else was available. We also tried a new fruit. We are pretty sure it is called a greengauge. It is the size and texture of a small cherry, but inside there are tiny, edible seeds instead of a pit. It tastes a lot like an apple. They are good.

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After breakfast, we booked Continue reading →

Welcome to Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam, Egypt

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We approached the channel entrance at 0000 (midnight). The prudent thing to do would be to do circles until dawn. Since this is a brand new development, we didn’t have charts. The main channel buoy light was out. But there were additional channel markers that were visible, with an entrance buoy and red and green flashing lights. The whole development is well lit, and the ambient light made it bright enough to see well. The wind was still and the sea completely flat, helping with visibility. We decided Continue reading →

Getting Ready for Sea and Omani Courtship Customs

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Since we were going to be leaving tomorrow, today was chores and errands day. The first priority was to find a good internet connection. We drove into town at 0900, expecting all the internet cafes to be open since business hours are generally 0800 to 1300. We drove up and down pretty much every street in Salalah and every single internet café was closed. We couldn’t see any hours signs posted in English on any of them. But, all the other businesses were open.

After 45 minutes of driving around, we decided to get groceries, go back to the boat, and head to the Oasis at noon for lunch and internet. We were told they are a wi-fi hotspot, and we had our fingers crossed that was accurate information. We were relieved to find out that are a hot spot. The connection is better than the Hilton’s, and they didn’t charge us anything extra beyond the meal for our internet usage. However, the waiter seemed unhappy with us for being the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave when they closed for their afternoon break.

Oman is another place that lacks microwave dinners, so Christi made several meals and froze them in small plastic containers for passage food. A fellow cruiser gave us a camel roast that she put in a marinade and froze, all ready to throw in the oven on passage. Camel is a red meat, Continue reading →

Guided Tour of the Dhofar Region – Part 2

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Continued from yesterday”¦ The next stop was the highest mountain in the area, at 2,000 meters, and unfortunately, we didn’t catch its name. The peak holds a communication tower and the rest of the area is pristine. From the edge, it is a sheer drop down to the desert at sea level directly below, and the ocean in the distance. We were up so high that the clouds were floating by next to us and below us. This spot has got to be a hang glider’s dream.

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From there we headed to Wadi Darbat. On the way, we saw a herd of camels grazing along the side of the road. We had passed several herds already, as well as herds of goats and cows, but these were the first guys we had seen that weren’t moving. They were eating lunch. We got out of the car and walked right up to them and took photos as they happily ripped off branches of desert bushes and chomped away. Saleem even encouraged us to pet one of the ladies on her belly. She made loud grunting sounds when we touched her, which alarmed us, but are apparently normal. The hair is course. Interestingly, the feet are soft on the bottom, more like paws than hooves. Peter got a great shot of her smiling for the camera.

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We piled back into the car and quickly arrived at Wadi Dharbat, the water source that fed the ancient city of Khor Rori. We went to the edge of a small river with a pretty view. In the wet season there is a waterfall, but it is dry now. Hidden discreetly behind a cliff overhang was some Bedouin housing. This small group lives here in the dry season, moving to other places in the wet season. We got back in the car and went just a few kilometers back down the road to some springs that flow into the river, which are also quite beautiful. Here is a picture of Saleem and the springs.

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We headed back down the mountain to the coast, to the ancient city of Continue reading →